Aaron Neville (born January 24, 1941, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States) is an American R&B and soul singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States (including three that went to number one on Billboard's adult contemporary chart and one that went to number one on the R&B chart) along with four platinum-certified albums. He has also recorded with his brothers Art, Charles and Cyril as The Neville Brothers and is the father of singer/keyboards player Ivan Neville. Of mixed African American and Native American heritage,[citation needed] his music also features Cajun and Creole influences.
Career[]
The first of his singles that got airplay outside of New Orleans was "Over You" (Minit, 1960). Neville's first major hit single was "Tell It Like It Is", which topped Billboard's R&B chart for five weeks in 1967 and also reached #2 on the Hot 100. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[1] A remake of the song was a Top 10 Pop hit for the Rock group Heartfeaturing Ann and Nancy Wilson in 1981.
In 1989 Neville teamed up with Linda Ronstadt on the album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind. Among the duets recorded for the disc were the #1 Grammy-winning hits "Don't Know Much" and "All My Life". "Don't Know Much" earned a million-selling Gold single, while the album was certified Triple Platinum for US sales of more than 3 million.
His other hits have included "Everybody Plays the Fool", his 1991 cover of the 1972 Main Ingredient song, that reached #8 on the Hot 100; "Don't Take Away My Heaven", "Hercules" and "Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You (The Rain Song)." Neville's biggest solo successes have been on the Adult Contemporary chart, where "Don't Know Much," "All My Life," and "Everybody Plays the Fool" all reached Number One in 8 European countries.
In August 2005, his home in Eastern New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina; he evacuated to Memphis, Tennessee before the hurricane hit. He moved to Nashville after the storm.[2] and had yet to return to the city as of early 2008, causing the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to temporarily change its tradition of having the Neville Brothers close the festival. However, the Neville Brothers, including Aaron, returned for the 2008 Jazzfest, which returned to its traditional seven-day format for the first time since Katrina.[2] Neville is in the process of moving back to the New Orleans area, namely the North Shore city of Covington.[2] Neville performed Randy Newman's "Louisiana 1927" during NBC's A Concert for Hurricane Relief on September 2, 2005.
Neville signed to SonyBMG's new Burgundy Records label in late 2005 and recorded an album of songs by Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke and others for Bring It on Home…The Soul Classics, released on September 19, 2006. The album, produced by Stewart Levine, features collaborations between Neville and Chaka Khan, Mavis Staples, Chris Botti, David Sanborn, Art Neville, and others. The album's first single was a remake of The Impressions' 1963 classic "It's All Right."
[1][2]Aaron Neville with his distinctive mole visible above his right eye (1990)
Neville's career has included work for television, movies and sporting events. Neville sang the National Anthem in the movie The Fan starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes. He also sang the anthem at the WWF's SummerSlam 1993 and at WCW Spring Stampede in 1994. Neville sang the theme music to the children's TV series Fisher-Price Little People. He also sang a new version of "Cotton," for Cotton Incorporated which was introduced during the 1992 Summer Olympics. In 1988 he recorded "Mickey Mouse March" for Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films, one of Various Artists. In 2006, Neville performed "The Star-Spangled Banner", alongside Aretha Franklin and Dr. John on keyboards at Super Bowl XL inDetroit, Michigan. In addition, Neville (along with brothers Art and Cyril) did background vocals for the songs "Great Heart", "Bring Back the Magic", "Homemade Music", "My Barracuda", and "Smart Woman (in a Real Short Skirt)" on Jimmy Buffett's Hot Water, released in 1988.
On October 27, 2006, Neville made a guest appearance on an episode of the soap opera The Young and the Restless.[3] He sang "Stand By Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine", from his album, Bring It on Home … The Soul Classics. In 2008 he released Gold, which includes a double album of his hits.
In 2009, Neville, along with the Mt. Zion Mass Choir, released a version of the song "A Change Is Gonna Come" on the compilation album, Oh Happy Day.[4]
On December 12, 2010, while performing at Baton Rouge's Manship Theater in the Shaw Center, Neville was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
Neville was the featured artist for the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the University of Memphis Centennial Concert Sept. 30 2011 at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.
Neville is an inductee of the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame in Ferriday, Louisiana.
In January, 2013, paying tribute to the songs of his youth, Blue Note Records released Neville's My True Story, a collection of 12 doo-wop tunes, produced by Don Was and Keith Richards, with backing by musicians such as Benmont Trench and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.[5]
Personal[]
Neville met his wife, Joel, in 1957. They were married on January 10, 1959 when both were 18 years old. Joel was diagnosed with lung cancer in late 2004 and died on January 5, 2007. She was 66.
In 2008, during a People magazine photo shoot, Neville met photographer Sarah A. Friedman, who had been hired to take a portrait of the Neville Brothers. Neville and Friedman were married November 13, 2010 in New York City.
Neville's oldest son Ivan is also a musician and released an album, If My Ancestors Could See Me Now, in 1988, which yielded a Top 40 hit with "Not Just Another Girl." Ivan has also performed with Spin Doctors, The Rolling Stones andBonnie Raitt, and played keyboards for Keith Richards on his first solo tour. Ivan then assembled his own band (Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk) which tours and frequently appears in New Orleans.
Neville's third son, Jason, is a vocalist and rap artist who has performed with his father and with the Neville Brothers, notably at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Neville is a Roman Catholic with a devotion to St. Jude, to whom he has credited his success and survival. He wears a St. Jude Medal as a left earring.[6]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Label | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B | US Christ | US Gospel | US Jazz | US | CAN | US | CAN | |||
| 1965 | Tell It Like It Is | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Par-Lo Records |
| 1986 | Orchid in the Storm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Rhino |
| 1991 | Warm Your Heart | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | A&M |
| 1993 | The Grand Tour | — | — | — | — | 37 | — | Platinum | Gold | A&M |
| 1997 | To Make Me Who I Am | 73 | — | — | — | 188 | — | — | — | A&M |
| 2000 | Devotion | — | 28 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | Chordant |
| 2002 | Humdinger | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | EMI |
| 2003 | Believe | — | 14 | 2 | — | 191 | — | — | — | Telit |
| Nature Boy: The Standards Album | 85 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | Verve | |
| 2005 | Gospel Roots | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Chordant |
| Christmas Prayer | 74 | 14 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | EMI Gospel | |
| 2006 | Mojo Soul | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Music Avenue |
| Bring It On Home... The Soul Classics | 20 | — | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | Burgundy | |
| 2013 | My True Story | 7 | — | — | — | 45 | — | — | — | Blue Note |
Singles[]
Peak chart positions. "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
| Year | Single | US | US AC | US R&B | US Country | CAN | CAN AC | CAN Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | "Over You" | 111 | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | Non-album songs |
| 1966 | "Tell It Like It Is" | 2 | — | 1 | — | 96 | 2 | — | |
| 1967 | "She Took You for a Ride" | 92 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1991 | "Everybody Plays the Fool" | 8 | 1 | — | — | 19 | — | — | Warm Your Heart |
| "Somewhere Somebody" | — | 6 | — | — | 43 | 15 | — | ||
| 1992 | "Close Your Eyes" (with Linda Ronstadt) | — | 32 | — | — | 90 | — | — | |
| 1993 | "Don't Take Away My Heaven" | 56 | 4 | — | — | 17 | 12 | — | The Grand Tour |
| "The Grand Tour" | 90 | — | — | 38 | — | — | 58 | ||
| "Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight" | — | 26 | — | — | 37 | — | — | ||
| 1994 | "I Owe You One" | — | — | — | — | 51 | 29 | — | |
| "I Fall to Pieces" (with Trisha Yearwood) | — | — | — | 72 | — | — | — | Rhythm, Country and Blues | |
| "Even If My Heart Would Break" (with Kenny G.) | 122 | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Bodyguard(soundtrack) | |
| "Betcha By Golly, Wow" | — | — | — | — | 32 | — | — | The Grand Tour | |
| 1995 | "Can't Stop My Heart from Loving You (The Rain Song)" | 99 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | The Tattooed Heart |
| "For the Good Times" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996 | "Use Me" | — | — | 93 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Crazy Love" (with Robbie Robertson) | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | Phenomenon(soundtrack) | |
| 1997 | "Say What's in My Heart" | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | To Make Me Who I Am |
| 2006 | "It's All Right"A | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | Bring It on Home... |
- A "It's All Right" peaked at #12 on Hot Contemporary Jazz Songs.
Guest singles[]
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US AC | CAN | CAN AC | ||||||
| 1989 | "Don't Know Much" | Linda Ronstadt | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind | ||
| 1990 | "All My Life" | 11 | 1 | 10 | 1 | ||||
| "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" | 78 | 5 | 29 | 10 | |||||
| 1996 | "That's What My Love Is For" | Anne Murray | — | — | — | 15 | Anne Murray | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart I Fall To Pieces ((Trisha Yearwood)) | |||||||||
Compilation albums[]
- Love Songs (2003)
- Gold (2008)
Music videos[]
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | "Don't Take Away My Heaven"[7] | Zack Synder |
| "The Grand Tour"[8] | Jim Shea | |
| "Please Come Home for Christmas"[9] | Bronwen Hughes | |
| 1994 | "I Fall to Pieces" (w/ Trisha Yearwood) | Charley Randazzo |
| 1995 | "For the Good Times"[10] | Jim Shea |
Filmography[]
- Zandalee (1991)